Seeing the deed of sale torn up, Wu Jinliang's mouth almost stretched to the back of his head again. He chuckled, glancing at Old Dong, only relaxing when he saw Old Dong was sensible enough.
Actually, when he went to forge the deed earlier, he really didn't want to bring Old Dong along. More precisely, he didn't want Old Dong to see it.
But he had no choice; he was unfamiliar with the place and it would be difficult to find a place selling related items in a short time, not to mention finding someone to pay for it.
Watching the deed of sale fall to the ground as scraps, Bian Weikang let out a huge sigh of relief.
He cupped his hands to Shi Chun and said, “Senior Brother… rest assured, I will repay the money I borrowed from you as soon as possible. I’ll write you an IOU right now.” He turned to go into the room to find pen, ink, paper, and an inkstone.
Shi Chun grabbed his arm.
“That’s enough, having the thought is enough. An IOU can be skipped.
Do I not trust Brother Bian’s character? If I didn’t trust Brother Bian, I wouldn’t have lent it to you. There’s no rush to repay, take your time, let’s talk about it when you have it.”
Old Dong's mouth curved slightly, and he shook his head secretly. The Chief was indeed still the Chief; plotting mischief didn’t stop him from doing a good deed first.
Refusing to accept any IOU no matter what, Shi Chun waved his hand, telling them not to bother seeing them off, and quickly left with his men.
But Bian Weikang still insisted on escorting them outside Wuyou Inn, watching them for a long time before returning.
As soon as he returned to the room and saw the beautiful woman waiting, Bian Weikang couldn’t control his emotions and stepped forward for a warm embrace, but Xiang Lan’er held his arms down and pushed him away.
“Weikang, do you also think that just because I came from a pleasure house, I can be taken lightly?”
Xiang Lan’er, looking up, was already teary-eyed.
The charming and beautiful woman had become utterly pitiful, stirring compassion in anyone who saw her.
This accusation immediately made Bian Weikang wave his hands in a flurry, indicating that it wasn't true and asking Xiang Lan’er not to misunderstand.
Xiang Lan’er said no more, wiped away her tears, silently found some things, then pulled Bian Weikang to sit down. She very virtuously helped him tend to the wounds on his forehead and hands, immediately immersing Bian Weikang in happiness and warmth.
Men are so easy to placate…
After descending the cliff, Big Stone finally couldn't hold back and asked Shi Chun, “Chief, why didn’t you want an IOU? That Bian Weikang no longer has the ability to repay, and without an IOU, when will the fifty thousand gold be returned?”
At these words, Wu Jinliang chuckled without speaking. Old Dong also gave two soft laughs, not exposing it directly, intending to tell Big Stone later.
Big Stone wasn’t foolish. Seeing the two men's sly smiles, he knew there must be an underlying reason…
Far-Gazing Tower in Zhaotian City was located at the exit of the canyon by the lake, also embedded in the cliff face.
Its flying eaves were grand, its scale magnificent, and the flow of customers coming and going was considerable. The ‘Bo’ in Far-Gazing Tower refers to the wide variety of goods for sale, like a super large general store.
Apart from those selling their own manufactured goods, or specialized shops, or some special industries like Liyun Tower, Far-Gazing Tower was involved in almost everything else. Almost no one could compete with businesses similar to Far-Gazing Tower.
At this time, on the upper floor, in an office room facing the lake and mountains, ledgers were piled neatly, and the furnishings were elegant.
A tranquil woman rose from her desk and walked to the balcony, leaning against the railing to gaze into the distance.
Her picturesque brows revealed an elegant and dignified demeanor. Her clear and beautiful appearance, paired with a goose-yellow dress swaying in the wind, and her exceptionally fair skin, made her look as fresh as a tree covered in spring snow.
Placed within the beautiful scenery of the tall building and the lake, she looked like a figure stepping out of a painting.
Her eyes were large, resembling her mother, who was Lan Qiaoyan, the overseer of Far-Gazing Tower in the Living Prison.
And she was that Miss Miao, named Miao Yilan.
Chasi was nearby, meticulously reporting the process of lending money to Shi Chun.
After hearing the account, Miao Yilan murmured, repeating a sentence, “If all people in the world are heartless, what meaning does life have? Mutual affection surpasses countless riches…” Her gaze towards the distance held a longing, as if yearning to find someone with whom she could share mutual affection.
Chasi quickly explained, “Saying he appreciates Bian Weikang’s loyalty and righteousness is merely a high-sounding excuse.
He’s simply eyeing the double repayment Bian Weikang mentioned, wanting to earn that doubled money.”
Miao Yilan turned to look at him, chuckling, “Can’t he genuinely have helped out because of those two words, ‘loyalty and righteousness’?”
When she first met Shi Chun, she would never have said such a thing.
When Shi Chun tried to approach her, she felt that he wanted to attach himself to her.
Whether he was trying to attach himself or not was another matter.
The crucial point was that no matter how interesting Shi Chun acted, no matter how hard he tried to please her and make her happy, she still didn't fancy him. From the beginning, she knew that a relationship between them was impossible.
The vast difference in status was only one aspect. In her heart, she truly struggled to accept the peculiar scent of those people from the Land of Exile, and that kind of dirtiness that couldn't be washed clean.
It wasn't disdain; making friends equally was fine, but for him to be her man, she genuinely couldn’t accept it.
She considered her own moral values to be decent and disliked any hierarchy between people.
But after going to the Land of Exile, she understood a truth: the chasm between rich and poor truly could not be bridged by morality.
She sometimes felt quite sad when she thought about this.
And Shi Chun’s intentional approach at the time also raised her mother Lan Qiaoyan’s vigilance. She immediately investigated Shi Chun’s background, and the result greatly surprised her mother.
The first thing she said to Miao Yilan was, “That kid is an extinct oddity,” and then sighed, saying, “He is a person of loyalty and righteousness.”
She naturally had to ask what happened, and her mother then told her about Shi Chun’s experience growing up eating from a hundred families in East Nine Plains.
After he took control of East Nine Plains, he swore to everyone that he would always remember the kindness of them squeezing food from their teeth for him, and that he would do his utmost to send everyone out, promising them that he would be the last to leave. As long as there was one person left, he would never depart.
Over the next few years, he indeed kept his word, successively sending out dozens of people.
The number might seem small, but when compared to the time and regional scope, even she knew that this proportion was truly remarkably high.
What her mother truly wanted to tell her was that this was not the outside world; this was the Land of Exile. The desire of the suffering natives to leave and change their fate was unimaginable to outsiders.
Under this desire flowed an unknown amount of blood, and an unknown number of bodies lay fallen.
Giving up dozens of opportunities to leave over several years—what this meant was unimaginable to outsiders.
The latest news was that East Nine Plains had sent out over a hundred people at once, and Shi Chun was indeed the last one to leave East Nine Plains.
It was after that investigation into Shi Chun’s background that her mother became less wary of Shi Chun approaching her, effectively turning a blind eye.
Therefore, when Chasi recounted Shi Chun saying he helped because Bian Weikang was “loyal and righteous,” Chasi didn’t believe it, but she somewhat did, because her mother had said that Shi Chun was “loyal and righteous” at heart. So Shi Chun might have helped that Bian Weikang for this very reason.
Thus, that phrase, “If all people in the world are heartless, what meaning does life have? Mutual affection surpasses countless riches,” also captured her attention.
Chasi, unaware of those intricacies, still asserted, “Impossible, it's purely an excuse; he's aiming for the double repayment.
The problem now is that Bian Weikang has no ability to repay at all. What if Shi Chun can’t return the forty thousand gold?”
Miao Yilan smiled gently.
“Even if he can’t repay it, he’ll have to find a way. We’ll find him a job at Far-Gazing Tower later and deduct it from his monthly salary until it’s fully paid.
Defaulting on debt is not allowed.”
The reason why she immediately sent Chasi with the money when Shi Chun asked to borrow, and such a large sum as forty thousand gold, was also because of something her mother once said: “If you truly help such a loyal and righteous person, he will not forget it.”
Of course, when she heard about the loan, she also thought Shi Chun had encountered some urgent difficulty, because in all the time she had known him, Shi Chun had never asked for or borrowed anything from her, much less money.
“…” Chasi was somewhat stunned.
Couldn’t repay the money, yet still help the person find a good job? Was Far-Gazing Tower a place just anyone could enter casually? Was this to make them repay the debt, or to repay their debt to them?
When he entered and exited the Land of Exile, he had also heard about Shi Chun pursuing Miss Miao. Could it be… no way? He couldn't help but secretly observe her.
Just then, Old Dong’s voice sounded from outside, “Miss Miao.”
Miao Yilan turned and responded, “Come in.”
Old Dong quickly entered and reported cautiously before her, “Shi Chun is downstairs. He says he wishes to visit you.
Should I have him sent up?”
Without permission, not just anyone could ascend to the upper floors of Far-Gazing Tower.
Miao Yilan smiled lightly.
“It’s true that we seem to meet every three months. I didn’t expect to still see him after leaving the Living Prison.
Since he’s here, please invite him up.”
“Understood.” Old Dong bowed slightly and turned to leave.
Miao Yilan walked over to her desk for handling official business and reached out to tap the feather placed in a holder on the corner of the desk, immediately seeing it sway like falling snow.
This was said to be the feather of a nearly extinct bird. A gentle puff would make its delicate barbs flutter like falling snow, creating a beautiful effect.
Shi Chun obtained it in the Land of Exile and gave it to her, saying that only she deserved such beautiful things.
She later found it genuinely beautiful, so she placed it on her desk as a decoration.
Sometimes, when she was tired from work and resting, she would blow on it and admire it, finding it quite refreshing. Thus, she brought it out of the Living Prison to accompany her.
In the main hall on the first floor, various sales areas were categorized. Shi Chun kept his word and had Big Stone take him to the book stall.
There was a wide variety of books. Shi Chun looked for a while, unsure which to pick, so he asked, “Shopkeeper, which book sells the best?”
The clerk, unimpressed by his shabby appearance, said nothing harsh only because he saw Big Stone accompanying him, wearing the same Far-Gazing Tower uniform.
He casually took a book from the shelf and tossed it in front of Shi Chun. “This one, currently sells the best.”
Shi Chun fixed his gaze on it, seeing 《Mountain and Sea Lantern》 written on the cover. Without even looking at the contents, he decided, “Good, this one.
Give me two copies.”